By Sarah NEGEDU
Farmers in the Federal Capital Territory have started receiving free fertilizers from the FCT Administration, as part of government efforts at improving food production in Nigeria.
The gesture is from the FCT allocation of 900 metric tonnes of assorted fertilizers donated by the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, for distribution to farmers across the country.
The FCT Minister of State, Dr Mariya Mahmoud, who flagged-off the exercise in Abuja on Wednesday, said that the fertiliser, received through the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security, serves as a strategic response to the global challenge of food shortages.
She assured that the FCTA’s Agriculture and Rural Development Secretariat has fully adhered to the distribution guidelines outlined by the CBN which includes the setting up of a broad-based ad-hoc committee to strategise and come up with distribution plans.
This, according to her, will ensure the fertilisers reach the intended beneficiaries – the dedicated and hardworking farmers in the FCT.
“The FCT Administration is very much aware of the challenges faced by the populace regarding the high cost of food items and has been proactively implementing measures to address the situation.
“As you may recall, within the past two months, we have undertaken several initiatives to enhance food production.
“In collaboration with the World Bank and Islamic Development Bank, we achieved a significant milestone by providing farmers with a comprehensive range of agricultural inputs.”
The minister noted that while it was imperative to recognize that agricultural inputs were vital for enhancing production, knowledge of good agronomic practices was equally essential, adding that that was why the FCTA has consistently invested in knowledge acquisition over the years.
Mahmoud reaffirmed the unwavering commitment of the FCTA Administration to the welfare and prosperity of the good people of Abuja.
Earlier, the Mandate Secretary, Agriculture and Rural Development Secretariat, Lawan Geidam, noted that the donation was a timely response to mitigate the adverse impact of the current global food crisis, exacerbated by climate change, low production, and high prices on Nigerians.
He further stressed that the intervention reaffirmed the commitment of President Bola Tinubu to revitalise the agricultural sector by empowering farmers with essential inputs.
Geidam said that the distribution committee was made up of farmers, civil organisations, faith-based organisations, Area Council authorities, traditional institutions, and government agencies, in line with the CBN guidelines.
“We are optimistic that the fertilisers will yield a remarkable outcome, culminating in a bumper harvest this year, thereby enhancing food availability, improved nutrition, economic growth, and overall well-being of FCT residents,” he said.
The Permanent Secretary of the Secretariat, Grace Adayilo, said that the secretariat had put measures in place to ensure that the fertiliser did not end up in the market.
Adayilo assured that the fertilizers would be distributed to genuine farmers saying, “I want to assure you that the people you see here today, are farmers that have been certified by the committee as genuine farmers who have been in their different ways, adding value to the food production systems in the FCT.”
Chairman of the All Farmers Association of Nigeria, FCT Chapter, Ifraimu Dauda, commended the federal government for providing farmers with fertilizers which is central to farming.
He urge government to however ensure that such gestures are timely, even as the farmers work towards migrating from Seasonal farming to irrigation farming.
He advised the government to be wary of social media farmers and deal directly with the real farmers in communities.
